Although it lacks brightly colored plumage, the intelligent, sociable, and talkative cockatoo is actually a type of parrot. Altogether, there are 21 different species of cockatoo native to various parts of Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Indonesia, and the Philippines. In common with other parrots, cockatoos have an amazing ability to mimic sounds, whether from a natural or artificial environment. What’s really remarkable is their uncanny ability to reproduce human speech. This and their often zany personalities have long made them highly prized as pets. Incidentally, their intelligence isn’t confined to mimicking sound: these brainy birds can solve complex logical puzzles! In captivity, cockatoos can live to see their 70th birthday. Between that and all the attention they require, keeping a cockatoo as a pet is a major commitment. So while having a cockatoo isn’t for everyone, for people who are up to the job, they can be incredibly rewarding pets.
One cockatoo had such strong social urges he wanted to fit in with a group of cats that share the same home! Cats and birds aren’t exactly natural friends. In the United States alone, cute and lovable cats manage to slay several billion birds every year. Nevertheless, this parrot was determined to make friends with the cats and he had a brilliant strategy.
As you’ll see in the video we’ve posted below, the three cats were perched on the bed suspiciously eyeing the bold cockatoo as he paced back and forth. Here the cockatoo uncorked his clever plan: he started meowing! This left the cats totally confused: it looks like a bird but it sounds like a cat. Things did get a little tense at one point, but the cockatoo was prepared: he let out a perfect feline hiss.
While he didn’t win over the cats, this intrepid cockatoo definitely deserves an A for effort. We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments at Facebook. Be sure to like and share, too!
